The Shrouded File

Chapter 3

Rayla was just a ray of sunshine wasn't she? Wrong.

She had just finished showering and was currently grumbling in annoyance as Vidhya chose her clothes for her. Vidhya was growing just as annoyed, simply due to the fact Rayla kept rejecting every single one of her suggestions.

After another good 15 minutes wasted, Vidhya just grabbed a random outfit from the side of untouched clothes and shoved it in Rayla's arms. "You are wearing whatever this is and you're not allowed to say no", said Vidhya with a tone of finality that left no place for arguments.

Rayla quickly went to the bathroom and changed, examining the outfit in the mirror. It was a light blue origami strapless jumpsuit with a ribbon around the waist. It's long pants sleeves complimenting her long legs well. 'Not bad', Rayla thought to herself before exiting the bathroom.

Vidhya grinned upon seeing her best friend. "See? My clothing choices are highly immaculate", she says before handing Rayla some silver platform heels. 

"Do I have to wear heels?" asked Rayla as she looked at the abomination of what was called heels, turning them over in her hand.

Vidhya nodded. "No excuses. They go well with the jumpsuit, plus you'll look taller too...not that you need it", she says with a shrug.

While Rayla was somewhat considered tall, Vidhya was the opposite of her, not only in height but everything else too. Vidhya was a petite girl, standing at the height of only five feet tall. Vidhya had short, curly black hair that fell only slightly past her shoulders and dark eyes. She loved fashion and was currently studying to be a scientist. She had originally wanted to be a doctor but she found that chemistry was more her strong suit instead of biology.

Rayla sighed and put it on. Vidhya was about to ask to do Rayla's makeup but she figured she pushed enough for today. "Let's go, pretty sure Niall is waiting for us", Vidhya says instead as she grabbed her bag and left. Rayla followed suit.

Niall was already waiting when they reached. He and Rayla greeted each other with their secret handshake before he gave Vidhya a kiss on the forehead in greeting.

"Happy anniversary babe", he greeted, handing her a bouquet of her favourite flowers. He had bought her something else but he'd decided he'd give that to her later, once the night was over.

"Happy anniversary to you too idiot", Vidhya says with a small smile. Words couldn't describe how much she loved this man. "These are lovely, thank you".

Niall grinned and opened the passenger seat door for Vidhya. "After you", he said with a cheeky smile, causing Vidhya to roll her eyes fondly at him.

Rayla on the other hand teased the couple as they drove towards the restaurant where dinner would be held.

The restaurant turned out to just be a VIP private longue at an insanely popular club. Not that Rayla minded. She was secretly glad it wasn't anything too fancy.

They were led to the longue, their friends already there. The moment they entered, their friends had tackled them with bear hugs. Sabrina grinned at her two best friends but the first thing she said had been, "British Standard Time Sucks", which earned a round of hearty laughter from the group of friends.

Rayla missed Sabrina and Veronica. Sabrina was around 5'4 with curly brown hair, which she preferred to keep short and hazel eyes. Blessed with a charming smile and adorable laugh, she had most guys falling at her feet witbout her even realising it. Veronica on the other hand was about 5 feet tall and had untamable curly black hair. She had a gorgeous complexion and was overall stunning. One thing Rayla was always jealous of Veronica was that Veronica had lots of self confidence despite being curvier than most girls. She was a figure of voluptous beauty that took no shit from anyone.

Elijah and the other guy, who Rayla assumed was Veronica's mystery beau were shaking hands in greeting with Niall.

As the group of friends broke the hug, Veronica took a step back, blushing. Rayla raised an eyebrow at her friend who beckoned a guy forward. Veronica inhaled deeply before intertwining hers and the other guys hands.

"And who might this be?" asked Vidhya with a smirk. Rayla was bearing a small smirk of her own but observed the guy more. She was just protective over her friends and you can bet that this guy, whoever he was would get Rayla's crazy threats.

"This is my boyfriend, his name is Oliver", Veronica introduced sheepishly as the guy, who was called Oliver, gave them all a friendly smile. Oliver shook hands with them all, polite as ever. Rayla decided she would approve, should he stay after a little talk. Or not, he seemed nice enough.

Oliver was originally from Spain, born and raised in Seville. He was about 5'10 with nice curly brown hair and captivating forest green eyes.

Niall shot Oliver a grin. "I guess our Ronnie has finally been tamed from her wild ways huh?" asked Niall, which earned him a smack from Veronica. Veronica was a girl who enjoyed partying and never wanted to commit or find someone until after university. She also enjoyed socializing but it didn't mean she slept around, she was a firm believer that her sense of self was sacred and not to be given away freely to any strangers.

"Oliver was it?" Rayla asked as she narrowed her eyes at him. Oliver nodded, looking a little scared as he gulped in fear. "If you hurt her, I swear to hurt you in ways that haven't even been created yet", Rayla says, her voice showed that this wasn't in fact a threat but a promise. Oliver seemed to cower under her scrutinizing gaze as he managed out a small, "Yes ma'am".

Rayla grinned. "Welcome to the circle Oliver", she says as the boy seemingly relaxed. Oliver then returned her smile while nodding as everyone took their respective seats once more and began ordering finger food and such. 

It was a great time for everybody as they caught up with each other and joked about the most random things. Oliver was instantly considered a part of their little family, considering how well he got along with all Veronica's friends and had an amazing sense of humour. 

At some point around 2 hours later, they begun talking more about relationships in life, specifically romantic ones. "So...Rayla, why aren't you seeing anyone?" asked Oliver as Sabrina smirked before adding, "Yea, why not Rayla?" in a teasing tone. 

"Because I'd rather focus on my studies and getting a good job before even bothering with things such as relationships. Besides, being single does have its perks, one being I am allowed to ogle whoever I wish", she simply replied as she took a sip from her martini. What she did say was simply the truth of what she saw and others seemed to accept that answer until her best friend decided to speak. 

"But Rayla, you don't even ogle guys anyhow. Or girls, if you're interested in them too that is", Vidhya says, to which Rayla shrugged in return.

"You know, I could always set you u-", Eli began as Rayla cut him off by standing up and excusing herself, saying she needed a drink as she left the private longue and headed towards the bar. She ordered a glass of red wine, texting on her phone as she waited. 

Not long after, someone tapped her shoulder causing her to look up in confusion. As she looked up, her face morphed from confused to surprised as she saw–

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Hey lovelies,

Late update I know but writers block can be a bitch. Thank you for reading this far, it means a lot. Also, sorry its short, I'm tired sorta

Love,

Katara: 

Instagram: anahitakatara